Recognizing the gods in Acts-XIV,8-10 (Explaining Pauline incidental narrative in the 'Acts of the Apostles')

Little attention is given to the stare and the loud voice of Paul in the he aling of the cripple in Acts 14.8-10. This article examines these two actio ns and suggests that far from being incidental in the narrative, they help to explain how the Lystrans recognized that 'the gods have come down' in Pa ul and Barnabas. In both Graeco-Roman texts and in Jewish literature, the s tare and the loud voice are indicators of the action or presence of the god s. In addition, the command 'arise' is commonly given by divine beings in J ewish texts.